Before anyone mentions anything, I know this is not the kind of film you might expect to find on this site but it is Asia's big break (whether she realises it or not) and therefore is relevant. I also enjoyed it...enjoyed it a lot.
The plot? Well, such that it is, Xander Cage (Vin Diesel) is a notorious underground thrill-seeker who, until now has been deemed untouchable by the law. But when crack NSA Agent Gibbons (Samuel L Jackson) forces Cage under threat of imprisonment to infiltrate a ruthless crime ring based in Prague he enters a completely different world where risking his life has a purpose...
xXx is nothing more than a kick-ass action movie and was never intended to be anything else other than perhaps an attempt to make Vin Diesel the new action hero. It certainly delivers in the action department and tries to breath some life into this particular genre by adding the 'x game' element of extreme sports - base jumping, skate boarding, sky surfing, motocross...etc. It also benefits greatly from not taking itself too seriously.
To all intents and purposes, it's a James Bond movie for a new generation. In fact you could argue that the 007 franchise has done it all before and much better but that is missing the point. There is a whole generation who wouldn't dream of going to see a film about a randy old British secret agent who should have been killed off years ago. This is for them, loud, garish and ...cool.
Unfortunately, Diesel is acted off the screen by almost the entire remainder of the cast and at times seems to be in a different film altogether. He does not appear to be very comfortable in the role once Cage becomes an agent. But then you could put this down to his sensitive portrayal of the turmoil and confusion surrounding someone finding themselves in his predicament...Nah!
Probably the main thing of interest to Argentophiles is Asia's performance as Yelena, the token female. Considering she is not really called upon to do much more than look sexy and pout, she acquits herself brilliantly. Now if only she was the one dancing on the bed...sorry, my mind wondered there for a second! She has little to say and when Xander tells her over lunch that he is a secret agent, you can't help but feel that her laughter is genuine!
Some may say she has betrayed her artistic integrity by appearing in a mainstream Hollywood blockbuster but this is just what she needed. After the extensive interview circuit she did before the cinema release of xXx, people in the US are suddenly aware of this sultry Italian sex bomb which will certainly not harm her career.
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